Scripps Ranch woman admits she was a fake doctor

Susan Shroder

SAN DIEGO — A woman who ran an Encinitas clinic and claimed to be a medical doctor pleaded guilty Friday in federal court to four counts of conspiracy to practice medicine without a license, officials said.

According to prosecutors, she charged patients thousands of dollars and infused them with a non-FDA approved chemical industrial solvent called dimethyl sulfoxide, or DMSO, as well as what she claimed were bovine stem cells.

There were four known victims, and there may be others, officials said. Helms pleaded guilty to one count for each of the victims. She is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 3.

One of the patients became seriously ill and was treated at a hospital for organ failure, prosecutors said.

Lyme disease is an infection spread by tick bites. It is normally treated with antibiotics in its early stages.

The website for the clinic, BrightHouse Wellness Center, listed Helms as a doctor of naturopathy, a master herbalist and a certified nutritionist. Prosecutors said she did not have a license to practice either traditional or alternative medicine.

Helms was arrested in August following an investigation by the FBI, the state Medical Board and the District Attorney’s Office. The probe began in April after patients complained to authorities about their treatment.

Anyone with information about other potential victims is asked to call the FBI at (858) 565-1255.